Volunteering at a vineyard for a day

My fellow volunteers snipping the vines.

I've always wanted to own a little hobby vineyard where I make my own wine and maybe have a little wine cafe that's open only on the weekends.  Yes, I'm a bit of dreamer, but you never know...perhaps one day.

In the meantime, I'm gathering information about winemaking and having tons of fun along the way.  This weekend I had the chance to help out Swiss vine owner and winemaker, Alain Chollet.

His winery and vineyard is located in Grandvaux area about 10 minutes away from Lausanne by train. With the harvest season complete in October, he needed a few volunteers to help him trim the branches off the vines and get them ready for winter.

There were four of us volunteering in total (the other 3 came from Geneva) and the work was hard, but rewarding.  Basically all we had to do is snip off all the branches on each vine stock except for the main one.  It sounds easy, but after 8 hours of snipping, I had blisters on my thumb and fingers, and my back was a little sore from the bending up and down.  But, I would do it again in a second and have already asked to on the volunteer list next time around.

Alain was the best boss and the best teacher of what to do with the vines. When I started, I was worried I was going to snip the wrong bits off and kill his plants, but he showed me exactly what to do and gave us hints on which way to work the vines to reduce the amount of work on our backs.

Here's a hint: The vines are planted on steep hills so working your way up hill is definitely easier.

During the lunch break, he gave us a tour of his cellar where we tasted three of the wines that were currently being fermented.  It was my first time trying something that was still in between the juice and wine stage, but you could already get a sense of how the wine would progress when mature.

He told us the vineyard had been with his family for generations and he said that in Switzerland, they are very strict with what you can grow.  Chasselas is the most common grape of the area and a certain percentage of your vineyard has to be that (if the vines are already there).  Alain's vineyard also had a little bit of Chardonnay (which his grandfather planted) and some red varieties like Pinot Noir. He was experimenting with a red blend that was pretty good.

We worked from 9:00 am until 4:30 pm when the sun was starting to set.  It was a hard day, but a nice way to get to know the wine and the wine maker. We also got paid in wine, which was fantastic.

Alain does have volunteer weekends three times a year: Spring, harvest and winter prep. He also holds special wine events in the cellar throughout the year so those of you who would rather drink the wine rather than work for it.

You can find out more information about these and how to volunteer on his website: http://www.alainchollet.ch/new/

Strolling through the Lavaux vineyards

I had no idea there was so much wine in Switzerland until I moved to Lausanne.  And I had no idea that Lausanne was just 10 minutes away by train to the best wine area in the country -- the Lavaux vineyards.

To get there, you take the train to Grandvaux and then you start walking through the vines and end at Lutry station.  It will take you about 90 minutes to walk there...and it's mostly downhill.

Or you could do it the way I did, which turned out to be the hard way.  I arrived in Lutry, which is located at lake level and then had to walk up the challenging hills to get to Grandvaux. That was not the best idea in the world, but I did get a fantastic glute workout along the way.

The traditional grape in this region is Chasselas.  If you've never heard of it, you are not alone.  I had never heard of it until I moved here. It's a white grape and about 75 percent of the vineyards in the area grow it. It makes a full-bodied white wine that goes well with most Swiss foods such as fondue and perch.  It's also a nice afternoon sipping wine, especially on hot summer days.

The do grow some red grapes in the area.  These are Pinot Noir and Gamay.  I'm going to be honest here and tell you that while the Swiss white wines are generally excellent, the red wines are hit and miss. They are worth trying, but not all are amazing.

The site is also a UNESCO World Heritage site.  One of the reasons is the countless terraces overlooking Lake Geneva. It's worth the hike.  Just bring your walking shoes as even going downhill can be challenging.

Open Wine Cellar Days (Caves Ouvertes)

After living just outside of Napa for years and being able to just pop in for a wine tasting any time I wanted, I was surprised to learn that it doesn’t work that way in Switzerland. 

Sure, they will let you wander through the vineyards around the Lutry area, but you can’t just wander into a winemakers area and ask for a free sample of wine. And, I must say, that even though I had no idea Swiss actually produced wine, the wine they do produce is pretty tasty.


CAVES OUVERTES FOR TWO DAYS ONLY!

So when I heard Caves Ouvertes was happening May 23 and 24, I had to take advantage of it. For 15 CHF, you get a wine glass. With this glass you can visit 300 cellars and drink as much as you want. They do actually give you a full glass which is not what you’ll get in Napa –where you do get just a “taste”. And if you are really into wine, you can use the same glass on both days.

 

 There are some things to consider though. The route is hilly so don’t drink too much or else it will be long walk to the train station.

Sommelier picks for Sierra Vista Winery

After visiting Miraflores, my sommelier and I were off to winery number 3: Seirra Vista.  I didn't get to speak to the own of this one because as soon as we got there, we learned the power had gone out and he was busy trying to get the generator to start. 

Of course, while he was doing that, we tested out his wines.  They also had some yummy shrimp appetizers so I had try those as well.

Owned by John and Barbara MacCready, the winery crushed their first grapes in 1977 and were the first to plant Syrah in 1979 followed by Grenache, Mourvedre, Cinsault and Viognier.

“John started the Rhone movement in the El Dorado County area,” said Diana, one of the pourers.

But it’s not just the wines that keep people coming back to visit the winery again and again. It’s John’s humble personality and his integrity to keep his wines honest.

“John is very salt of the earth. He leaves his wines alone for the most part, but what I’ve always liked about him is that even in these times of high alcohol and high extraction wines, he’s always made wine for the dinner table,” said Sandford Wragg, sommelier.

Wragg, who has worked in the wine industry for over a decade says it doesn’t matter if is his award winning vintages or a table wine, it always comes from the same philosophy – good wine, with good integrity.
But with this being said, there are few vintages that rise above the others.

“I think John’s signature wine is his Fleur de Montagne,” said Diana.

The Fleur de Montagne is a Rhone blend of Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre and Cinsault. It’s a luxurious wine with great harmony that is a crowd pleaser. Wragg agrees that it is good and should be tasted when visiting the winery, but it's not his Sierra Vista favorite.

“What I liked the best at Sierra Vista is their reserve Syrah. I think he is famous for Syrah for a reason and that particular Syrah had more focus, acidic intensity and the ability to serve as a wine on the dinner table than any of the other wines including the Fleur de Montagne,” Wragg said.

But the Syrah isn’t the only wine on Wragg’s “must try” list. He was also impressed with John’s wines made from Bordeaux grapes.

“You shouldn’t pass on his Merlot and his Cabernet. Probably because he leaves them natural in this colder climate, his Bordeaux grapes have some structure and some tannin in them making these wines worth checking out,” Wragg said.